Jaishankar continues Swaraj's Twitter outreach

Following the precedent set by his predecessor Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar lent a helping hand to Indians abroad as he took cognisance of their plight on Twitter.

IMAGE: Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrives at MEA to take charge as Minister of External Affairs, at South Block in New Delhi. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

Just a day after taking charge of the ministry, Jaishankar appreciated the promptness of the Indian embassy in Riyadh in lending support to a Kolkata-based man stranded in Saudi Arabia. "Appreciate the prompt action on this Suhel @IndEmbRiyadh. Pl keep me apprised," he tweeted.

He has since quoted two other tweets of those seeking help and mentioned the handles of the concerned embassies.

Swaraj was the first to start this tradition which has been widely commended for bridging the gap between the elected government and the people.

Swaraj opted out of contesting in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections citing her health. She spearheaded various rescue operations during her term, including those in Libya and Yemen. The former external affairs minister was much-loved by people for being one of the most approachable ministers, known for hearing out and solving grievances on Twitter.

Famous for her witty remarks, she surely left a lasting impression by constantly engaging with Twitter users.

"Ma’am we thought you were our Foreign Minister. The only one most sensible in BJP. Why do you call yourself Chowkidar," one Twitter user asked her.

"Because I am doing Chowkidari of Indian interests and Indian nationals abroad," was her reply.

She had famously told one Twitter user that they would be rescued by the Indian Embassy even if they were "stuck on Mars," a comment that not only won hearts but also earning her immense respect.

The first career diplomat to be appointed as the EAM, Jaishankar paid homage to his predecessor in his first tweet from his official account on May 31.

A surprise addition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second Union Cabinet, the former foreign secretary certainly has big shoes to fill.